


Downtime

by EggsEgghead



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Canon Related, Canon is mentioned but not very important, Established Relationship, F/M, Feelings, Fluff, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, I was just having intense feelings for Solas, he might be a smidge out of character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:06:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25155172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EggsEgghead/pseuds/EggsEgghead
Summary: Aurae needs some time away from the hustle and bustle of the Inquisition. Solas tags along at her request.
Relationships: Female Lavellan/Solas
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wish I had more to say about this one, I was just deep in my feels for Solas and wanted to indulge myself. I'm not sure how this one is going to end but I'll give you guys the first chapter.
> 
> UPDATE: I've decided I like the way it ends at chapter 2 so I'm going to mark this as complete. Maybe in the future I'll add more.

The sunlight was bright as I carefully navigated the grasslands of the Hinterlands. Despite everything, the Breach, Corypheus, the Inquisition, I always felt a sense of calm roaming through the forests and plains. I paused on my walk and knelt to the ground, carefully picking a few of the herbs that are native to the region. The harvesting I did always reminded me of my time back with the clan, wandering through the Free Marches with no set destination. They're cherished memories and reliving pieces of my old life always brought me a sense of calm.

I heard footsteps approach from behind as I took my time harvesting. Solas came up beside me and knelt down to my level, watching my hands. He didn't say anything, just watched. When I finished and stood back up, he followed my lead.

"So Aurae," Solas followed me as I continued to walk. He stuck back for a few paces before catching up and walking beside me. "Was there a reason you brought me out here?"

I thought for a minute, seeing if I could come up with a convincing lie. I had a lot of work to be doing but instead I was here. When nothing came to me I just shrugged. "Not really. Leliana mentioned that stores were running a little low so I figured I'd do my part."

"The entire Inquisition is your part." Solas looked ahead and squinted from the sunlight. "You already do so much."

I scoffed. "I know but…I grow tired fighting demons and Templars and Venatori all the time. It's tiring. Knowing that the entire fate of Thedas depends on my success…" I sighed and shook my head. My walking slowed to a stop, Solas stopping a few paces in front of me. He turned to look back at me.

"The weight of the world feels like it's on my shoulders. Literally. I…don't like it."

"It is a lofty responsibility." Solas closed the distance between us and stood in front of me. He put a hand on my shoulder and I looked up at him. "But you don't have to do it all alone. We're all here to support you."

"I know. But sometimes I just need a break. Wandering puts me at ease. Despite my clan's…openness with humans, I'm far from a social butterfly. The parties, the dignitaries…it's all so exhausting."

Solas smiled slightly at me. His hand moved from my shoulder to gently caress my cheek. "The plight of a Dalish thrust into a war she doesn't understand."

I couldn't help but smile back. I pressed my cheek further into his hand and sighed. "Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I never left the clan."

"Someone else would have interrupted Corypheus's ritual, most likely. Worst case scenario, no one would have. And, chances are, we wouldn't have met." Solas's answer was immediate.

"I guess that's true." My shoulders slumped from the mention of Corypheus. Solas noticed.

"Perhaps we should leave the Inquisition talk back at Skyhold for right now."

"That would be nice." I smiled up at him.

Solas responded by pressing a kiss to my forehead before he pulled away from me. "Well, lead the way, vhenan. I'll be right behind you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurae and Solas take some time to sit down and rest, sharing conversation as they enjoy each other's company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooo I beat the game in the middle of writing this chapter and had to completely rework a good 2/3rds of this but!!! It's done!!

The river glistened from the sunlight as I sat on the rocky shore with my bare feet submerged in the water. Solas sat a few feet away, thumbing through a book he had brought with him from Skyhold's library. I left him to his reading as I watched small fish hurriedly make their way upstream, my thoughts distant as I daydreamed.

At some point, Solas must have relocated beside me but I was too lost in my thoughts to notice. I jumped when he spoke.

"Was there any reason you only brought me on your little expedition?" The way he spoke hinted that he may already know the answer. He could read me like an open book, something that used to frustrate me. It didn't bother me much anymore, though. If anything, Solas could tell what I wanted before even I knew.

"I feel like we barely ever get to have time together. Between all the work and prying eyes, that is." I shifted closer to him and leaned my weight against him. He rested his hand on my hip to keep me there.

"That's a valid point."

I huffed. "That, and the fact that everyone has been whispering about us. Sera and Vivienne have brought it to my attention on several occasions. 'Lingering looks,' as Vivienne so graciously put it. You don't want to know what Sera said."

I heard Solas chuckle to himself. "Word travels quickly."

"Too quickly." I remarked as I curled up closer to him. My feet slid out of the water as my knees bent closer to my chest. The rocks were smooth and warm beneath my skin. "But it's nice to not be surrounded by all of the noise. Just you and me. Those little fish in the river. Maybe a bear."

I could feel Solas's chuckle rumble in his chest. "You say it like it's a bad thing. Do you not want anyone to know about us?"

"It's not that, you know I love you." I sighed quietly and picked at a scab on the back of my hand. My eyes lingered on the mark on my skin, the thing that started it all. "It's just…unnerving for me to know so many people are becoming invested in my personal life. Our personal lives."

"People will talk regardless. Especially about you, Herald. It's just something to pass the time."

" _Don't_ call me that right now." I scoffed and saw the amused look on his face from the corner of my eyes. He always got a kick out of pushing my buttons. "I guess that's true, though."

I took hold of the hand Solas left on my hip and pulled his arm around me. I held his hand in mine, the hand on top lacing it's fingers between his. I closed my fingers around his palm, Solas closing his over mine. "I just like being alone with you, I think. It's more comfortable that way."

"I have to agree. I've noticed that you're much more at ease away from Skyhold." Solas closed his book and balanced it in his lap as he turned his full attention to me. I rested my head against his shoulder.

"Is it that noticeable?"

"Yes."

I laughed quietly to myself. How someone as reserved as I became the face of the Inquisition, I'll never understand. I would have been better off as a scout, working under Leliana, but fate seemed to have different plans. Or the Maker, as some have been saying. As hectic as my life had become, I couldn't say it hasn't been interesting.

"Solas?"

"What is it?"

I hummed quietly in thought before talking again. "What do you plan to do after this is all done?"

"I think a better question may be what do you plan to do?"

I paused. Not because Solas was countering my question with one of his own, he did that all the time, but because it was…a better one to ask. I could already assume what Solas wanted to do. He wanders, I had no doubt that he would want to disappear into the world and into the Fade. Me, however…I wasn't so sure.

"I…don't know. I guess it all depends." I had never actually thought of what I wanted to do once this was all said and done.

"On?"

"The state of the Inquisition, I guess. If it persists after we finish what needs to be done, I'd have no choice but to stay. I'd feel obligated to. But if I can help it, I'd just like to get away. Travel, wander, explore, but this time, at my own pace. Not the Inquisition's, not the clan's. Mine." I picked my head up and looked at Solas. After a minute, his cool, blue eyes turned to meet my own. "Or yours, if you'll have me."

Solas held my gaze for a moment before I saw his faint, familiar smile. He held my face in his hand, his thumb brushing over the deep scar that ran down my cheek, across the vallaslin that decorated my cheekbones. I saw a glimmer of something more somber cross his eyes before it vanished just as quickly as it appeared.

"I suppose we'll see what the future holds. There's no use making plans before we know the fate of our world, don't you think?"

"No." My turn to be honest.

"Why not?"

"Well, it's the little things that bring us hope. Having something to look forward to, even something as simple as exploring Thedas at your side, gives me hope." I watched Solas's reaction carefully. A look of introspection, thoughtfulness, crossed his face as he considered what I said.

"You have an interesting way of looking at things. I like that about you. You never leave me bored." Solas chuckled to himself again. "I guess we'll have to see what happens then."

I stared up at him for a moment, trying to read the emotion hidden behind his mask. He was giving me a smile but his eyes made him look like he wanted to say more. I wasn't good at reading him, though. Or anyone, for that matter. I couldn't help but sigh and push my cheek further into his palm. His touch was comforting.

We sat that way for some time, him holding my face. I pulled my hands away from the one he had sitting in my lap to pull his head down to mine. I pressed my forehead against Solas's, eyeing him for a moment, before pulling him into a kiss. He graciously returned the gesture, the hand that was once in my lap finding the small of my back as he held me close. My hands slid down from his face to rest against his chest, my fingers curling around the thick fabric of his robes to pull him closer. My body fell back against the rocks as Solas guided me onto my back, his lips breaking from mine only briefly before I pulled him back in. I felt the hesitation in Solas's lips.

"Perhaps we shouldn't do this here." His lips moved against mine as he spoke, his voice softly muffled. I snorted.

"Why not? It's exciting." Before Solas had the chance to respond, I closed the space between our lips. This time, he didn't pull away.

Our hands worked on their own, pulling off armor and articles of clothing and leaving them to lie where they may. Solas's kisses wandered from my lips, marking a trail down the side of my neck and along my now bare shoulder. I locked my ankles behind him and squeezed his hips down close to mine. Though still partially clothed, I could feel him press firmly against me. My head tilted back when I felt his lips graze over my freckled chest as he made his way down my body, his hands working tirelessly to pull any articles of clothing out of his path. As my eyes were falling shut, a rustling in the brush nearby caused us both to pick our heads up. There was a moment of silence before the leaves rustled again, this time accompanied by distant voices.

"Unfortunate." I couldn't help but giggle at the interlopers' terrible timing. With a sigh, Solas sat back and pulled me upright with him. I grabbed whatever clothing was closest, mostly Solas's, and shoved them into his arms before I quickly gathered my own.

"Let's continue this later." I found my boots lying where I had left them earlier and pulled them on quickly before getting to my feet. Solas smiled at me as we hurried off along the river, pulling our clothes on as we ran.


End file.
